In Depth Notes on New Zealand Pasture Legumes

Introduction

• Dr. Alastair Black discusses less common pasture legumes in New Zealand, including shrub weeds.
• Importance of understanding growth forms, functions, and tolerance to environmental factors.
• Focus on: identification, climatic factors, soil fertility, grazing management, pests, yield, and nutritional characteristics.

Allsight Clover (Trifolium hybridum)

• Common name derived from Swedish "Alsike".
• Biennial legume adapted for high country environments.
• Characteristics:
  • Prolific seeder with a seed head resembling white clover.
  • Leaflets: wavy, trifoliate without pronounced leaf marks.
• Utilized for its ability to produce flowers and seeds under grazing, enables natural reseeding.

Arrow Leaf Clover (Trifolium vesiculosum)

• Biennial but behaves like a perennial.
• Rarely planted in New Zealand, more common in Australia, recently trialed in New Zealand.
• Characteristics:
  • Establishes quickly and is utilized for summer feed in East Coast environments.
  • Top flowering annual, completing its life cycle by droppings seeds before dying.
  • Often treated as a triennial through resewing every year.

Balanza Clover (Trifolium michelianum)

• Similar to Arrow Leaf Clover, popular in New Zealand.
• Planted in autumn for increased legume content in spring.
• Requires grazing management through controlled grazing.

Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

• Perennial not part of the Trifolium genus.
• Characteristics:
  • Moderate to high condensed tannins beneficial for ruminants (retaining protein in the rumen).
  • Slow establishment due to small seed size.
  • Limited persistence under frequent grazing, but potential for indoor feeding.

Caucasian Clover (Trifolium ambiguum)

• Introduced for high country pastures to improve productivity.
• Characteristics:
  • Very persistent perennial with taproots and rhizomes.
  • Slow to establish, low seed production means high seed prices.
  • Grown cooperatively by farmers for self-supply in New Zealand.

Clustered Clover (Trifolium glomeratum)

• Found in dry land shallow stony soils in Canterbury Plains.
• Subterranean Clover also found, characterized as prostrate with low overall productivity.

Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)

• Resurgence of interest in multi-species pastures and regenerative agriculture.
• Notable for poor persistence under hard grazing; suited for lax rotational grazing.

Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum)

• Striking inflorescence, grown as green manure or multi-species mixtures.
• Lower palatability compared to other legumes.

Glen Clover (Trifolium glomeratum)

• Early flowering annual similar to other top flowering clovers; limited adoption in New Zealand.

Haresfoot Trefoil (Trifolium arvense)

• Recognizable pinkish hue in hill country in late spring.
• Presence indicates summer dry-land environments.

Lotus Species

Lotus pedunculatus

• Adapted to acid, low fertility soils; persistent in tussock grasslands.
• Found in various hilly and stream bank environments across New Zealand.

Perennial Lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus)

• Known as Russell Lupin; used for its multi-colored flowers.
• Naturalized bacteria allows for nitrogen-fixing without inoculation.

Persian Clover

• Productive and palatable; earlier flowering compared to red and white clover.
• Suitable for dry environments.

Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum)

• Similar to white clover but more robust; better drought and salinity tolerance.

Sulla (Heterosarum coronarium)

• Unique with noted nutritional properties; high tannin content.
• Difficult to grow under grazing; suited for cutting systems.

Shrub Weeds

Common Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

• Nitrogen-fixing legume with distinctive yellow flowers.
• Produces hard seeds that persist in the soil, leading to regeneration issues.

Gorse

• Similar nitrogen-fixing properties but much less palatable; develops thorns making it unpalatable over time.

Tree Lucerne (Carmichaelia australis)

• Palatable forage option; early spring flowering that provides food for nectar-seeking animals.

Conclusion

• Discussion of various legume species efforts to match specific environments to their key attributes.
• Not an exhaustive list; ongoing research on other species contributions to New Zealand pasture systems.
• Emphasizes tailored approaches in choosing legume species for farming environments.